How To Fly The Jupiter 2 (And a Random Alien Spacecraft)
by SpaceLost
Summary: At the start of the Jupiter 2 mission, Don West was "the only one who could pilot the ship". But now times have changed...
1. Test Flight

**CHAPTER ONE- TEST FLIGHT**

 _Author's Note- This Story Starts shortly after the end of the Classic Series, but the events of the film and recent rebooted series are referenced in a way._

For the second time that week, the Jupiter 2 rose from its self-forged landing site, retracting its tripod landing legs and ascending into the sky with surprising speed, leaving most of its crew complement behind on the world of ruined wrecks. But the Jupiter would be back- _they all come back._

And besides, the spacecraft had only embarked on a routine orbital test flight- it wasn't as if the JunkMan had tried to steal it _again._ He had more than redeemed himself, assisting in the repair, reconstruction, and even improvement of the Jupiter, utilizing components from the multitude of alien space vessels that had crashed on his world over the eons.

 _It's strange,_ thought Major Don West, _how all this alien tech fits so smoothly into our old ship…_

When it set out from Earth, 4 years previously according to its faulty Atomic Clock, not accounting for the effects of relativity and space/time warp effects, the Jupiter had been the "most sophisticated piece of hardware yet devised by the mind of man", but unbeknownst to the crew, their vehicle had in fact been based on an alien design, alien technology…

And yet still it was outdated. Even the "Space Junkyard" had more advanced ships. But after 4 years onboard, the Jupiter Crew- the Robinson family, Don West, a General Utility Non-Theorizing Environmental Control Robot, and the stowaway Smith, not counting the occasional hitchhiker, called the sleek saucer-shaped ship their home. Fortunately for them, the JunkMan did not feel the same way, and had instead set his sights upon a different crashed vessel. Recently crashed too, and in good condition. Don suspected that the JunkMan had lured it there, but no one else inquired about its origins.

However, one Jupiter crewmember would soon take that ship out on a mission of their own…

The Robinsons had set up camp in the JunkMan's cavernous factory, but their living arrangements were only temporary. Once the Jupiter returned, the family would search for newer, and hopefully more hospitable worlds.

In those 4 years of on and off space travel, they had lived in many strange lands, whether aboard the Jupiter or away from it. Some places were impossibly familiar, some unimaginably strange, but others were simply dull. And the Junk Planet, despite all its hidden treasures, was quite boring for most of the family.

Judy Robinson was "admiring" the "diamonds" that Smith had rescued from incineration, while Will Robinson worked on repairing and refining the Robot. For Smith, the shiny rocks were just about the only objects of actual value around, while Judy could appreciate their beauty and unique properties.

The planet was covered in many metals from all that machinery, most of which would be much more useful than those carbonized crystals, but the glistening lattices were quite pretty.

"Here now, my dear Judy, I'll be taking these, perhaps I can spare a small sample to construct the perfect wedding ring for you and the Major, although I'm sure _he'd_ much rather incorporate them into the Astrogator- unlike _him,_ Judy, you have true, refined taste…. Howsoever, _I_ found these metallic marvels, and I shall hold on to them for the time being!"

Knowing Dr. Smith, that "perfect wedding ring" would probably explode on Don- but despite that greedy lust for riches, for the moment, his heart did seem to be in the right place- and he did have a point about Don being distant- literally, at the moment…

Smith stroked the minerals lovingly and began to scheme.

 _Rings… the Astrogator, ah yes, I remember now, indeed, now if I could only convince her to reset our course for Earth again- now, now, Zachary, they'll be time for that later, no need to get ahead of yourself… a treasure, and I suppose, a family, is enough. Now I only need a proper home… oh, Clarissa…_

Those were Smith's thoughts, but he had also conceived a new name for the Robot, and that was what he preferred to voice aloud.

"Once William restores him, I must have that _Dreary, Dilapidated Dunce_ analyze these… diamonds further- Till then, they remain with me- when the Jupiter returns, if it ever does, we can find a nice little spot for them- in my quarters, away from the Astrogator and the prying eyes of a certain…"

"Um, Dr. Smith, I don't know if they're _diamonds_ or not, but maybe Will could help you right now, hmm? He's quite the geologist, and all I know is that they look pretty, but they aren't Deutronium, so I'm sure my parents or Don wouldn't be interested…"

Will would have been interested in the alien "jewels", (and in all the alien technology scattered about), but at that moment he was rather preoccupied with the still recovering Robot.

"WARNING, WARNING, MAGNETIC IMBALANCE! DANGER, DANGER! MAGNETIC IMBALANCE ON…"

The mechanical man spoke in a loud robotic monotone which was his equivalent of a raised voice, echoing through the chamber, while he spun in all directions, arms flailing wildly. Will managed to press the reset switch within a chest console, and his cybernetic friend fell silent. The boy patted him reassuringly.

"We know all about that, Robot, this whole planet is one big magnet, and you're still not coordinated yet… don't worry, you'll be okay!"

The reloaded Robot spoke again, but he still didn't seem convinced, changing the subject.

"DANGER, DANGER, JUPITER 2 DEPARTING…"

Will rolled his eyes ever so slightly. "Oh- the test flight. That's normal too, sort of."

"IT DOES NOT COMPUTE"

This time, it was Will who changed the subject- he and the Robot had been through quite the adventure recently, but for some reason they were not involved in the flight. In fact, Will had been trying to ignore it, out of jealously. He couldn't see why he hadn't gotten to go this time- just because he learned how to fly the Jupiter 2 on his own? He could still use some practice! Under normal circumstances, the Robot would have gone as well.

But the Robot needed repairing, and the others were absorbed in their own affairs- the only ones focused on the flight and its implications were John and Maureen- they may have been away from the action, but the matriarch and patriarch of the family were in the middle of an interesting, deep discussion about recent events, neither looking at the other- they both sat focused beside a portable radar computer, tracking and guiding the Jupiter 2 on its path to orbit, a makeshift mission control and relay station.

"They're growing up so fast now, but we have to stay together, we can't-" Abruptly, John's words were cut off as a message came in from the rising Jupiter.

"We're getting a lot of cosmic interference, but still climbing steadily!" came Don's distorted voice over the radio.

"You're passing the point of maximum dynamic pressure now!" reported John, switching from the calm, more natural voice he used when talking to Maureen to the louder but somehow emotionless voice of a commander- but he still grasped Maureen's hand tightly- his grip firm as always, but perhaps a bit cold and shaken. Maureen still didn't make eye contact, but understanding passed between them.

Their previous conversation had been silenced- they could continue it later, once the family was all together and underway- but there were more immediate concerns now… of course, there always were.

Aboard the Jupiter 2, Don radioed back- "Roger, Max-Q." Everything seemed to be going well, for the most part- a few of the new upgrades had been lost, ripped off the hull during the ascent, but the good old spaceship itself was holding together.

The Jupiter had launched via rocket thrusters, it was dangerous to operate the main magnetic drive so close to the Junk Planet, and Don was still concerned about the primary propulsion system after the explosion in the Atomizing Units, not long ago. And there was that magnetic imbalance brewing in the nebula-like "Cosmic Cloud" surrounding the planet, creating a kind of Cosmic Storm.

But this was not important now, the Major had no plans to take the ship out of orbit anyway, unless the Jupiter's other occupant had other ideas…

Only Don and Penny were onboard now- Penny had nothing else to do on the planet, and she was the only member of the crew who had yet to learn how to fly the ship.

As much as Don hated to admit it, (and he never would) Penny was a better learner than Judy, who "never did like school." But Don found it easier to relate to Judy, after all, they were in love, and she was an excellent pilot as well.

Penny was more of an intellectual, but she had a somewhat airy attitude and carefree nature, the polar opposite of Don's personality. They both had dark hair and animal companions named Debbie, but that was where the similarities ended.

But while Don was oblivious to the youngest Robinson daughters' "crush" on him, he was still ambivalent. The Atomizing Units could explode again- probably not, but still, better safe than sorry, and handing the controls over to Penny did not seem safe at all.

Then again, this wasn't the first time she had sat in front of those controls- several years before the Jupiter launched and gotten lost, she had participated in a training exercise with Don, averting a mock disaster in the simulator, and she had performed quite well- and there was also that one time she had stolen the Chariot on a daring rescue mission, but Don had only heard stories and dubiously accurate recollections about that incident, since at the time he had been stranded in the desert in the middle of a storm, (not a Cosmic Storm, just regular, but _still_ …), the only one _not_ rescued.

But Penny wasn't thinking about the past, she was concentrated on the Jupiter's main viewport, and what lay beyond it. She hadn't even touched any of the controls yet, but at least she was paying attention, while Don reminisced.

The blackened hue of the Junk Planet's atmosphere faded away, and the blue brilliance of the enveloping nebula shined through the viewport. On Earth, it was the other way around, but this was a strange part of space.

Back on the planet, her parents were still worried- John and Maureen trusted Don, but in the old days, they wouldn't have even risked him, the pilot, (who John still regarded as sort of a young sidekick) on a test flight like this, let alone one of their children. Well, there was the time Penny had saved them in the Chariot, and the time Will had saved them in the Jupiter 2, but they didn't exactly have permission in those instances, now distant memories after all that had happened since.

John Robinson, Professor and part-time pilot, only vaguely recalled learning how to fly the ship- at the time he had been possessed by an alien intelligence who demanded lessons from Don, shortly before attempting to murder him, finally sealing the Major in a cave with Judy and Maureen and attempting to take the children with him to some distant alien planet. When the intruder had been driven from his body, John found he still retained the knowledge… and the memories.

" _Major West!" It was John's voice, his words, but there was something else behind them._ **Canto scanned the "Jupiter 2" spacecraft's Upper Deck, looking right through the meager Major, a necessary obstacle. He reached out-**

" _What's up, John… um, Professor Robinson, sir. Excuse me I was, uh, just going over the preflight checks as you instructed". He seemed nervous- had he noticed? John moved closer and indicated the main controls, which Don had been leaning back against haphazardly._

" _I've devised a new control console, it will be installed in the center of the main panel, where your pilot's chair is normally stored. And speaking of that chair… I'd like another one replicated for me, is that clear, Major? Unless you'd rather continue sitting on those controls, like an insubordinate child!"_

 _Don had been defiant, but he kept to himself._

" _Sure John… it's your ship after all, but I'm the pilot and…"_

" _Then teach me how to fly it, West. And I'll teach you how to operate the new guidance computer system!"_

" _John, look, you're still recovering from that head injury. Maybe if we…"_

 _John advanced towards Don, and back to the present._ He couldn't afford to think about those events now. That was years ago, it wouldn't happen again. But apparently it had, when he had been replaced by his antimatter duplicate. But he couldn't keep looking back to the past, he had to concentrate, this was an exciting mission- a younger John would have been so proud… _my own daughter, flying the Jupiter!,_ but after so much, he just wanted his family to be safe.

A light flashed and the radar display changed- John looked down- the computer station he and Maureen were sitting at was based on the same design that Canto had created….

"They made it!" said John, perhaps a bit too dramatically, and Maureen let out an audible sigh of relief. They took their hands off the console and held them together, watching the tiny blip on the radar screen begin to circle the planet. Maureen smiled ("Oh, John!"), but she remained worried. Although her husband was with her now, she still thought back to that time when it seemed as if he and Don were gone, stranded in space after a very similar test flight- she had taken a detour in the Jupiter 2 to rescue them, but this time there was no other Jupiter left to spare, only the JunkMan's new ship, parked outside. And her daughter was out there…

More recently, when Smith and the JunkMan had tried to steal the Jupiter, Maureen herself had been aboard, hiding on the Lower Deck, while the others had split up searching the planet. In the end, Will had flown up to the Jupiter and saved the day, and she had felt guilty ever since… she could have intervened, if only she had known…

The Jupiter 2 was kind of like Maureen's extra child, after all, she had been critical in its construction, but she valued the safety of her biological children above all others- she had always felt like more of a biochemist than an engineer, but what really drove her was that motherly love… she wished she could be up there again.

Although both of the Robinson parents had participated in the Jupiter 2's design, at the start of the mission the only one capable of properly piloting it had been Don "Crash" West- whether he piloted it _well_ was another matter. But according to the original mission profile, he wouldn't have had to do much piloting at all- the Inertial Guidance System and Astrogator automatic pilot would do all the work, Don was only there in case something went wrong.

More than a few things had, but those particular mishaps could not be blamed on the Major. Now they were lost, and in the years since, John, Maureen, Judy, Will, the Robot, and even Dr. Smith had been taught the intricacies of the Jupiter 2 by Don, or figured it out for themselves in the case of that troublesome trinity, Smith, Will, and the Robot. Now, after possessing the Robot's memory banks, even the JunkMan knew how, so it was about time that Penny learned as well.

While Penny was absorbed in the beauty of the scene outside the viewport, Don was absorbed in the beauty of the consoles and controls below it, the flashing lights, screens and scopes that once only he had understood.

"So, the green buttons here control acceleration, and the red buttons on the other panel are for deceleration- except for this one, that launches the hyperatomic rocket missiles, but usually that's covered, and it isn't really a button, it's a joystick, anyway…"

It all seemed very simple (That particular instrument was even labeled). "Okay" said Penny, continuing to stare off into space.

"Alright, great!" Don replied awkwardly. "Now that we're in orbit, I'll show you the Astrogator operations"

He unstrapped his flight harness and drifted across the deck, towards the Astrogator in the center of the Control Room. Actually, Penny knew all about how this important instrument operated, although it had been modified with new technology from the Junk Planet. A blue holographic display of the surrounding stars and systems lit up within the great transparent dome, while Don looked at a smaller star map along the device's rim. The last time Penny had studied these astral charts, she was with Judy, only a short time ago…

" _Why didn't Dad select this galaxy? Look, it's much closer..." Penny had said- technically, it was a star system, not a galaxy, but her point was still the same._

" _True, but the chances of finding an advanced civilization in any of these small worlds is pretty slim…" her sister had replied. As it turned out, all the civilizations in that system had destroyed themselves, and the Jupiter 2 crew hadn't had much better luck since… first the fire beings, then the plant beings, and now the Junk Planet. But even then, Penny was bored, and had admitted her desire to return to Earth._

" _All of us feel the same way, Penny."_

" _Yeah, but we're so close!"_

" _Oh sure we are… just 10 million miles away, give or take a few million!"_

 _The Jupiter crew finally had a good idea of their location in space, even if they were actually much further than that…_

"… _But let's not rush things- we'll get home. You know the old Chinese proverb- "_ A Journey of a Thousand Miles Starts with One Step…"

"We'll lock on to the Cygnus Nebula again." said Don- this time Penny was the one reminiscing, still sitting mesmerized by the much closer Cosmic Cloud of a nebula.

"Now, that's a recognizable stellar landmark- it's still pretty far away, but if we can get a fix on it, we'll finally be able to plot our position exactly!"

 _And hopefully history won't repeat itself,_ he thought, recalling that OTHER time, when Penny had reset the Astrogator to take them back to Earth, influenced by Dr. Smith, of course. _"I touched that thing, that knob…"_ She hadn't been thinking about that instance, but Don knew her feelings on the matter- Judy had told him about their more recent conversation.

Now Penny turned excitedly. "But not today…" sighed Don anticlimactically. "No, today we've gotta stay in this orbit…". She looked back towards the viewport and studied the planet below.

The Junk Planet reminded Penny of a cross between the Earth and the Moon- gray, cratered and pockmarked, but with a blue beauty that was not apparent from the wasteland surface. And there were volcanos, and lava, and constant impacts… more like the Earth billions of years ago, when it was young. But this world gave the impression of being at the end of its life, rather than the beginning. She couldn't wait to leave forever.

"This is Penny Robinson, the intrepid young space pilot?" Penny dictated into her diary/archiver tape recorder device. "Here we are on the Jupiter 2, and these are the controls!"

"Hey, isn't that my job?" said Don- he essentially doing the same thing, checking off a long list on an old-fashioned clipboard while staring at the Astrogator's complicated components.

"And here is Don West, the dashing pilot of…"

"Dashing?" he laughed, finding it hard to concentrate on the actual navigation.

"So yeah, usually this is when the ship goes out of control and we crash! Or something goes wrong, like it always seems to on the Jupiter 2, our home away from home, or…"

Right on cue, there was a flash of light in the distance. "Ooh, cosmic lightning!"

"It's probably just more falling space junk…" Don strode over to the analyzer near the viewport. A large view-plate lit up with a close-up recording of the recent disturbance.

"Well, I'll be, it is 'cosmic lightning'. But it's far in the distance, don't worry. Still, I'd better warn the ground, just so they don't think that big flash was us blowing up!"

Don reached for the main intercom- the cosmic interference was too strong, he couldn't contact base. But he pretended to, for Penny's sake, he didn't want to scare her. But perhaps it would be better to abort the mission and try again later, if that magnetic imbalance became a Cosmic Storm…

"I am so happy to hear that they have achieved a stable orbit!" said the JunkMan, entering the Robinsons' camp. John and Maureen were less enthusiastic. Since they had all been hanging out in the cave, no one had seen the flash from the sky, but something had shown up on the radar, and the parents were naturally concerned. And Dr. Smith, Judy, Will and the Robot had made a separate but surprising discovery…

"Ah, Mr. JunkMan" said John. "I don't believe we've talked much before, but we're having a problem here. We can't reach our spaceship- the communications system was working fine, despite the magnetic shifts, then it just cut out. I can't understand it!" John didn't trust the mysterious metallic man, but he tried to remain calm.

"Well, we have to reach them, somehow- Maybe a signal fire, like the one youand Don used when this exact same thing happened to _you,_ John…" Maureen suggested.

Surprisingly, Smith stepped forward.

"I have a BETTER idea!"

"Actually, Dr. Smith, it was my idea…". Judy came from behind, followed by Will and the Robot.

"We helped!" said Will.

A short time later, Don and Penny sat side by side on the Upper Deck. "We'll land once the storm has subsided". Penny was busy reading a book, an old copy of _Moby Dick-_ Don had taught her about as much as he could about flying the Jupiter 2, but he was afraid to touch the controls- a crash landing did seem likely, with all those electrical discharges messing up their instruments, and debris colliding all around them. But space was surprisingly tranquil- as Penny had once pointed out, it really did look like the Jupiter was standing still. Naturally, Don felt restless- while Penny had danced around the decks in the reduced gravity conditions before immersing herself in a fictional world, Don wouldn't be at home until they were really flying again.

Suddenly, as if there wasn't enough drama already, a strange blip appeared on a side radar screen. Penny was the first to notice.

"There's something on the scanner!"

"Oh, just more junk, don't worry, it won't hit us…" Don called out nonchalantly.

 _That's what he said about the lightning…_ thought Penny. _It could just as easily be a space whale!_

"Can I try the space harpoon on it, then?"

If it was some kind of space whale, she would want to help it, but if it was a piece of alien wreckage, maybe Don would want it brought aboard…

"It's called a rocket-gun, Penny, and didn't we just talk about the rockets?"

"Mom calls it a harpoon…"

Once again, Penny knew how to operate that device as well, but it would be fun to try it again. But whatever the object was would be gone by now- maybe next time. She returned to reading, but out of the corner of her eye, the small, blinking bright speck still arched across the monitor. And yet out the viewport, the sky was clear-no more flashes of light or collisions…

"Oh my- it's a missile!" yelled Don.

"Oh no! Is it heading straight for us?" Penny had expected _something_ to go wrong, but now she was actually scared.

"Yeah it is." said Don grimly, looking out the viewport, where something was approaching from the planet's surface. Several smaller rockets launched from the mysterious "missile"- they reminded Penny of fireworks, but she knew that they in fact spelled certain doom for the Jupiter 2!

TO BE CONTINUED!

 _ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS-_

 _This story is inspired by the cast, crew, and classic creation of LOST IN SPACE, which is the property of Legend Pictures, no copyright infringement is intended._

 _Many episodes are referenced, including the new ones from the reboot. One sequence is taken directly from the classic episode "_ The Flaming Planet" _by Barney Slater- as you can probably tell, that excellent dialogue was not written by me!_

 _The concept of Penny and Don having trained together in the simulator prior to launch was inspired by the_ Lost Back Story _fanfiction_ _by Chewie-Fan._

 _Thank you to TFALokiwriter for all the support!_


	2. The Magnetic Mystery and Moby Dick

_Author's Note-_

 _Here is Chapter 2, with even more dialogue!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO- THE MAGNETIC MYSTERY AND MOBY DICK**

Space was no longer still out the viewport of the Jupiter 2, but somehow that missile remained dead ahead, following the spacecraft's every move.

"Penny, get below deck and strap in, this is gonna be rough!"

 _How many times had she heard those words before? But this time was different… her family had been with her during all those other ordeals._

"A crash landing? Come on Don, Mom says this is the safest room in the ship!"

It certainly didn't seem safe- the Astrogator spun wildly as everything rocked from side to side, and there was a sound like something exploding- but neither Penny or Don turned to look at the Upper Deck- now they were both watching the forward viewport and the flight controls. But Don did glance at her briefly, and replied-

"Well, maybe, but the only other chair up here right now is the co-pilot's seat… "

Once, Don had survived a crash landing inside one of the Freezing Tubes, while everyone else went below. The next time, after a close run-in with another hyperatomic missile, the family had all just gotten down on the deck's "floor"- except him. He had stayed at the Astrogator bravely, before he was knocked back by acceleration and somehow also ended up on the floor with the others. Neither option sounded particularly appealing in the moment- he would stay at the controls until the end this time, but he didn't think Penny should have to.

"But I want to stay here, I can help!" Really, she just didn't want to be alone.

"Look, you may know how to fly the ship now, but if I don't keep _you_ safe, then your parents, not to mention Judy, will kill me- but just as long as that missile doesn't!"

Normally, Penny would have either found this humorous or mean, depending on her mood, but this wasn't the time. "Don, Il…"

There was a blinding light from beyond- the missile had exploded before it even reached the Jupiter.

"They missed us- although I don't know how!" Don smiled. Penny was surprised, he seemed to be taking this very lightly. She smiled too- "Wow, like a _Deus Ex Machina!_ But who was firing at us?"

"Some other spaceship, launched from the planet,"

While Don stared at his instruments, Penny looked back through the fading light out the viewport, beyond which she could faintly make out the craft that had launched the mystery missile- gray and conical, it was very familiar.

"Hey, Don- over there- it looks like the JunkMan's ship!"

"Now that's what I'd call a 'Deus Ex Machina'- very perceptive, Penny."

"So the JunkMan launched already? He's attacking us?"

"Probably not, if the JunkMan wanted to destroy us, he could've- no, only one person could be that bad a shot- SMITH!"

 _Oh here we go again…_ thought Penny- _Don ALMOST made it through a whole trip without mentioning him…_

"Dr. Smith took the JunkMan's ship? But why?"

Despite her intelligence, Penny was still somewhat naïve- but so were all the Robinson's when it came to Smith, Don thought.

"Who knows, maybe he wanted to steal it for himself, maybe he just wanted to give us a scare- with the family split up, it's the perfect opportunity for that evil…"

"Oh, Don, he can't be-" Something occurred to Penny, then she spoke excitedly: "Ooh, maybe we can call that ship on the radio?"

"I'll bet Smith's the reason our radio isn't working- 'Cosmic Interference', my foot! He probably messed up our instruments and fuel to weight ratio with those damn diamonds! Oh, excuse me, I mean those 'Meaningless Magnetic Marbles' of his…"

Don hoped his outburst would distract from his letting slip about their communications difficulties… Penny, meanwhile, was mainly surprised by how much Don sounded like Dr. Smith when he was angry, but she soon caught on.

"Our radio isn't working? That must just be the Cosmic Storm! If it is Dr. Smith, I'll bet he's just trying to warn us- he could've just pressed the wrong button to fire that missile!"

"Wouldn't be the first time!"

At that very moment, another missile launched from the JunkMan's ship and headed for the Jupiter. Rather than argue pointlessly with Penny, Don decided on another tactic. He reached over to the red joystick on the side panel, and fired one of the Jupiter 2's own few remaining hyperatomic rockets- not powerful enough to destroy the attacking vessel, but Don hoped it would send a message to a certain doctor, who he was sure was onboard…

While the Major had dropped his calm facade and gone into full revenge mode, (Which seemed a lot more natural for him, even if it was misplaced at the moment), Penny pondered the mysterious circumstances- she didn't like being wrong, but she was usually right about these things. This could be considered annoying, but she had a bright personality and always tried to see the best in people and situations, and that made up for it. Still, she couldn't deny that now someone was attacking them, and it could very well be Dr. Smith. But personally, she suspected her brother Will- he had wanted to go on the flight, and stealing a spaceship to get to go anyway sounded just like him…

* * *

Dr. Smith _and_ Will sat side by side, staring at a control console.

"Wow, this is like an actual space battle!" said Will, excitement masking his fear. "We've gotta contact them before- "

"Indeed! Whoever thought that firing those ridiculous rockets could ever be considered a friendly act?"

Will shook his head. _What a strange thing for Dr. Smith to say- hadn't he done that very thing once?_

"Whose bright idea was this, anyway?" asked John sternly, his voice echoing through the cave. Will and Dr. Smith moved over to allow the Robinson parents to view the radar console, where they watched the 2 ships in orbit…

"Didn't you say this was your 'better idea', Dr. Smith?"

"Actually William, perhaps it was brave Judy's idea after all…"

* * *

Although Smith was never a good pilot (firing missiles multiple times by mistake did sound like the kind of thing he could manage to do), Don was still convinced that it had to be the old doctor/colonel in command of the JunkMan's ship.

"Try to interrupt our test flight with your nonsense, will you Smith? Well, don't mess with Don West, one of these days…"

As much as Penny wanted to interfere, she had to sit back helplessly and watch, holding on to her copy of _Moby Dick_ as the Jupiter continued to lurch around.

"You're kind of being like Captain Ahab right now, Don!"

"From Moby Dick? Well, I haven't read that since high school, but Smith is sort of a… "

Penny found herself lost in thought again, a good way to hide from the dangers of reality, even if in this case, the truth was stranger than the fiction.

…So Don would be Ahab and that would make Dr. Smith the titular whale… now who would she be? Starbuck, Queequeg, Pip? Or perhaps Ishmael- maybe they were better off sticking to _Robinson Crusoe_ or _Swiss Family Robinson-_ she wished Judy could see her now!

* * *

On the JunkMan's ship, Judy Robinson sat behind alien controls, watching the distant saucer spacecraft that was usually her home evade her- was it bad that she couldn't tell whether it was Don or Penny at the controls? Then the Jupiter fired a missile back at her. _Now that was definitely Don._

Admittedly, she had started it- she wouldn't normally launch what really looked like an attack on her home, her boyfriend, and her younger sister, but with the communications system down, the only way to warn the Jupiter 2 was through light signals. She had done this once before- had Don forgotten?

" _Those old sailors, they found lights in the sky, to find their way home."_

Although Don and Penny had been thinking about "old sailors", they hadn't remembered that particular incident…

* * *

" _Judy_ is flying the JunkMan's ship?" Both the Robinson parents were in shock. "But why, son?"

"Well…" said Will. "This all started when she was looking at those rocks Dr. Smith found, and…"

"Diamonds, dear boy!" added Smith.

"I still don't see what this has to do with the Jupiter 2?" Maureen wondered, as Will and Smith continued to bicker about the "diamonds".

"Well, you see-"

"I believe I can explain this matter more thoroughly, Will Robinson!" interjected the repaired Robot, speaking more calmly, confidently, as he rolled up from behind.

"Dr. Smith's 'Diamonds' are actually fragments of an alien technology, similar to the new devices that Major West inserted into the Jupiter's Astrogator!"

"And we all know how sensitive the Astrogator is to _magnetic_ materials," said Smith, indicating the ring that he had used to reset the astrocompass, back when he first learned how to fly the Jupiter 2- the ring he would have given Clarissa, before she left on the Jupiter 1- that was a long time ago, but despite his schemes for the future, Zachary didn't want to lose the Jupiter 2, and members of his newfound family, in the same way. Even the Major…

"And there's a magnetic imbalance going on right now- they'd never even notice!" John was beginning to understand. "But why Judy?"

"Well…" said Will again- he had wanted to go, but had been overruled. Evidently his Mom and Dad were happy about this, and he was glad not to be in trouble this time. Little did he know that both John and Maureen would have wanted to go as well, had they been told.

"We had to send a signal to the Jupiter 2 somehow, and Judy volunteered. She said Don would understand?"

"You and Judy told us that your idea was to contact the Jupiter using lights in the sky, after I suggested a signal fire." Maureen remembered. "But why couldn't the JunkMan have gone, it's his ship?"

 _That was the original plan,_ John mused. _But where were Maureen and I in all this- we should have known._

"I guess Judy was kinda jealous and wanted to show her piloting abilities too?" suggested Will. "You know how she and Don are!"

"Will, that's enough." said John, then he switched back to his commanding voice. "Now despite everyone's good intentions, this plan didn't work out, and now we have no way to reach either ship."

"I could bring them back with the collection magnet!" It was the JunkMan, standing at the cave opening, silhouetted against the flashing sky.

"No, the last thing we need is more magnetic interference!" John stared at the sky, then back at the radar screen. "I suppose we'll just have to wait for that Cosmic Storm to lighten off first." He sighed. _So much for the "simple test flight"._

* * *

Judy would have ceased firing the missiles, but Don did not. The "space battle" continued on, and Judy was sort of enjoying outmaneuvering the Jupiter, but why couldn't Don or Penny understand? It wasn't like the spacecraft's Power Core was half off, but the ship was definitely not safe for flight in these conditions.

Down in that same Power Core, the Atomizing Units flared, and something, or rather someone, emerged.

* * *

Don had finally noticed that something was very wrong inside the ship as well as outside of it, and he was trying to salvage what he could of the test flight.

"Alright Penny, here's a new plan- you can fly the Jupiter 2 now, but how about the Space Pod?"

"You're saying we should land on the planet in the Pod? But what about our spaceship!"

"It isn't safe, I can't get our Navigation System to work, the astrocompass is running backwards, and the magnetic drive is what's attracting those cosmic bolts!"

"From the storm?"

"I don't know- there are a lot of things…"

* * *

In what was almost another Deus Ex Machina, the storm finally began to pass- there wasn't quite a cosmic rainbow to follow it, but the blue arcs of energy residue that remained were beautiful again instead of threatening, and Judy wished she could have shared this moment with Penny on the Jupiter 2, or even made it a romantic moment with Don- instead, they were both out there together in a malfunctioning spacecraft, both fleeing from and attacking Judy herself. This wasn't how it was supposed to be…

* * *

"The storm's fading- This is our chance, Penny!"

Penny was still mesmerized, she stayed at the controls, staring into space again as Don grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall (just in case), and inspected the rest of the deck.

"It doesn't look like there's any serious damage up here, just the Astrogator and Vector Tapes running in reverse for some reason- aww, and it looks like the Communications System is out-"

Penny still didn't know enough about the technicalities of the Jupiter 2 to understand everything Don had said, but she could tell that, despite the pretty passing of the storm and the serenity of space, everything onboard was still far from perfect.

* * *

"Judy to Beta Control, come in Beta Control?"

That was what Smith, Will and the Robot had named their ground control group, somewhat humorously referring to Alpha Control, the agency that had launched the Jupiter 2, and the planet Beta 3, a world with some connection to Penny. Judy played along with the "adventure", and it was sort of fun to be the one on a mission for once, with the 3 usual suspects staying back at base. But to her surprise, Maureen's voice answered over the crackling comms system.

"Judy! What's going on up there, are you safe?"

"Yes, mother- the storm's passing, but I still can't contact the Jupiter 2."

"Their communications system must be damaged." came John's voice as well- "Now look, here's what I want you to do…"

Judy appreciated that her parents were going along with the plan now, but she had a new idea of her own. She cut off the spacecraft's power system and began to coast out of control, plummeting down towards the planet. If she could make it seem that the alien craft had been damaged in the Cosmic Storm and was no longer a threat, then perhaps Penny, Don, and the Jupiter 2 would get the message try and rescue her, so that she could then rescue them…

* * *

"I do hope my spaceship remains intact!" stated the JunkMan, ironically, considering his profession. "But I am sure the power of love shall prevail again…"

"Well, Judy knows what she's doing," said Maureen.

John was still unsure- "Yes, but it's Penny and Don I'm worried about, how will they react?"

"Knowing the Major, they will most likely come crashing down to the ground in flames at any moment, leaving us stranded here for longer, and undoubtably causing more conflict within the family!" Smith chimed in.

"Come on Dr. Smith, try to think positively- at least Don can't blame you this time, and you really did help!" added Will, who still wanted to be up there, if only there was another way. Smith would have loved to see the look on Major West's face when he discovered Judy was the one who had been chasing him, but he was content to remain away from the action this time- just as long as the Jupiter did return.

"It will certainly be an awkward reunion, once Major West and Penny discover who is piloting the pursuing vehicle!" said the Robot. "However, my sensors detect no danger, at the moment, from that source."

"Well, that's a relief, but there are other dangers out there! I can't wait to be back in flight, John, at least then we'll be together."

"Yes, but it seems like all the drama happens when we're not around, Maureen. I'm just not used to Judy flying after the Jupiter in her own ship, and then there's Penny and Don…"

* * *

"I've stabilized us for now." said Don, circling around the Astrogator "Wow, that could be the first crash landing I've averted in a long time!"

"Probably thanks to my help!" said Penny. "But what about the other ship?"

Don had been in better spirits while working on the repairs, but he stopped suddenly when reminded of their attacker. "Looks like it wasn't so lucky- I say let it drift, that'll teach Smith a lesson!"

"But the JunkMan needs it back anyway, and what if our ship still isn't working? We need a way to escape other than the Space Pod, and then we can see who's really on it! If we help them, we can show we're friendly!"

"Um, your parents will be proud, Penny, but we can't compromise our own landing by capturing that ship. Besides, it could just be playing dead, that's an old military tactic, so Smith-"

"Sorry, Don!" said Penny, and before he could do anything, she reached for the controls, and spiraled the Jupiter 2 towards the other vessel, matching it's course precisely. Now Penny was reminding Don of himself, and despite being thrown across the deck again, he smiled, remembering his days as a fighter pilot, when he too disobeyed orders to rescue a friend…

"Time to try out the Space Harpoon!" she said, in a determined voice that still had an innocent quality to it- Don couldn't say no to that this time. "Well, I guess I'll suit up and prepare to board that ship…"- He wasn't quite as enthusiastic now, but he understood, and would do his duty.

"I'm coming too?"

"I think you should stay here, just in case it really isn't Smith, but some hostile alien. Besides, someone has to fly the ship!"

Once spored by the Jupiter 2's large rocket gun, which was quite literally a space harpoon, the dormant craft was reeled in and connected perfectly to the Jupiter 2's own main docking hatch. Don boarded it, fully spacesuited, even bringing one of the miniature rocket-guns, resembling a laser weapon. However, he was certainly not prepared for what awaited him-

"What the- well, I'll be…"

"Hello, Don- I'm here to rescue you!" said Judy Robinson.

* * *

Judy entered the Jupiter 2 and explained everything- "And don't you remember- 'lights in the sky, to find your way home'? You taught me that, Don, but I can pilot a spacecraft too, when I want to."

Penny was perhaps even more surprised to see that her sister had fired on the Jupiter 2, but she still couldn't understand why. Judy looked over at the Astrogator, and was reminded of their prior conversation. Penny followed, and stared at the recently altered navigation equipment within that transparent bubble- Don had shown her the interface, but she hadn't noticed those shiny new elements before. Now they shined like beacons as the holographics flickered, and Judy seemed focused on them, enthralled as she explained:

"These new circular… things, here- according to Dr. Smith, they're just like the diamonds he found!"

"You mean they're magnetic? Come on, Smith's just trying to- "

"It didn't show up down on the planet because of all the magnetic interference, and with the storm up here…"

"Oh- I guess I get it now. I can't believe we missed it," said Don, extremely embarrassed, but doing his best to hide it and take command of the situation. "So Dr. Smith really discovered this- I guess I owe him an apology."

"Well, you can thank him when we land, I'm sure he'd love to hear that from _you_. But I was the one who flew up here to save you!"

"Yeah, that you were. Nice flying, Judy!" They embraced, and Penny awkwardly turned away, back towards the flight controls- truly, someone did need to pilot the spaceship. But unexpectedly, Don's voice called out to her. "And you too, Penny. We couldn't have done it without you, you know. I would have just let that other ship float."

Judy simply said "Thank you, Penny.", and Don went back to business- "We'll have to dismantle the Astrogator, I guess, and land the ship without any automatic aid. Maybe you and Penny had better get in that other ship, just in case-"

"I'll radio the ground again, and tell them we're all safe.", added Judy.

"Okay, I guess give Smith my regards.", Don said, although it sounded somewhat forced. "Me too", followed Penny.

Now that the danger was over, they could all look back fondly on these events, although they all wanted to reunite the family first, and leave the vicinity before the Cosmic Storm returned…

Suddenly, but quite expectedly, an alarm sounded. "Oh no", Don sighed heavily. "It never rains, but it pours."

The 3 huddled around the main flight controls. "Looks like the Atomizing Units suffered some strain in that Cosmic Storm, I'd better go down to the Engine Deck and fix them up!"

Penny found it ironic that after previously ordering her down below, now Don was the one who had to descend…

"Keep the ship- well, the ships, safe and steady, you two!" he said, heading down the passageway to the Lower Level and the Power Core.

Penny and Judy sat in the dual flight chairs, watching him go, and staring at the now dormant Astrogator. Then they turned, back towards the control consoles and the beautiful view above.

"… _Where lies the final harbor, whence we unmoor no more?"_ Penny quoted to herself. Judy looked over. "Oh, so you remember THAT old sailing quote?"

"Oh, I was just reading it again!" she said, holding up the ancient book for Judy to see. Then she had a sudden memory, a flash of another world, another reality. There was a spatial disturbance outside the viewport, and a doorway between dimensions opened again…

TO BE CONTINUED!

* * *

 _ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS-_

Well, there are a lot of references to

Moby Dick _, which I also based on Penny and Judy's interactions in the new rebooted series- there are some subtle and not so subtle references to that version in this chapter…_

 _The "lights in the sky" bit is taken from the 1998 Lost in Space film- but I still consider this mainly a Classic Series story, rather than a crossover- however, a doorway between universes has been opened, and that could be an explanation for the combined continuity in this story._

 _Smith's backstory and Clarissa come from one of the Lost in Space comics,_ The Cavern of Idyllic Summers Lost.


	3. Private Pod

_Author's Note-_

 _This Chapter was originally going to be the start of a separate story, still a sort of semi-sequel, but focusing on the Space Pod rather than the Jupiter 2. However, I think it works better as one continuous adventure!_

 _Still, this one may go in a different direction than expected, but don't worry, it will all connect…  
And thank you for all the kind words, I hope you enjoy the continuation: _

**CHAPTER THREE- PRIVATE POD**

Penny piloted the Jupiter 2 as it returned to the planet, followed by the JunkMan's ship, back under the control of Judy.

Neither were aware of the recent dimensional shift, but they did have a feeling that the world they returned to was not the one they had left- or maybe they were the ones who had changed? Penny wondered if she had not only grown as a pilot, but had grown up as an individual along the way… such an old cliché! But kind of true, too.

"Sorry I'm late." came Don's voice from behind, as he ascended the ladder from the Lower Deck.

"It's okay, I have the ship under control!". Then Penny giggled and accidentally sent the Jupiter 2 rolling slightly off course. She regained her composure, but the hilarity remained. The disheveled looking Major was wearing his massive old mechanic's goggles- technically he was a mechanic as well as a pilot, but it was still quite a surprise, since he never wore them.

"Why are you wearing those things, Don? Did you fix the problem?" Penny asked, still somewhat distracted.

"Yes I did." he replied, totally serious. "…and I figured you had everything under control, so I stayed down below deck and…"

"Changed your fashion style?"

"Well, yes- I guess. I had to be careful while I was patching up the Power Core." He removed the goggles, flinching slightly in the pulsating light of the Upper Deck, and revealing a slight injury to his left eye. Penny caught herself, but her shocked reaction was still apparent.

"Don, your eye! Is it okay? I'm so sorry…"

"These things happen, there were explosions everywhere down there, but at least you're safe, right? Anyway, where's…"

"Oh, Judy went back to the JunkMan's ship, she's flying down with us."

In addition to her newfound piloting abilities and her real passion, musical theatre, Judy Robinson also possessed medical training, although Penny suspected Don had different reasons for wanting to see her than tending to his eye…

Penny had another strange vision, an imaginary view of Don with a beard and an eye-patch… as a pirate? Stranger things had happened in space, but for now, she decided not to tell him about this, or about that strange glowing portal thing she and Judy had seen. Finally, the test flight was coming to an end, any other drama could wait until they were back on the ground, and all together again.

* * *

No matter how much trouble their kids and someday son-in-law got into, the Robinson parents were very forgiving- or perhaps this time they were just glad that everyone was safe, for once.

Dr. Smith gave the returning travelers a hero's welcome, even if his speech seemed to be centered more around himself, Will and the Robot… as usual. Rather than leave the Jupiter 2 so soon after landing, Penny went down to the Lower Deck, and placed her copy of Moby Dick in the small quarters she shared with Judy. After all, as much as she wanted to return to Earth, the spaceship was still her home, even if recently it had seemed more like a family car that she had learned to drive. _Ooh, next time, the Chariot!,_ she thought to herself, looking at the mangled model versions on her shelf, which she and Will had built when they were younger- her model Jupiter 2 looked more like some kind of fancy bowl. As imaginative as she had always been, (The model was just abstract art!) little did she dream back then that she would shortly get to be in control of the real thing.

Will dashed up the Landing Leg access in-between the Lower Deck's Laboratory and Galley, visible out the open doors of the quarters, and he stopped to congratulate Penny. "Wow, I wish I'd have been there! We should have some kind of a race some time- I still bet I'm the better space pilot, but you come pretty close!" Then he was gone- she felt embarrassed for suspecting him, but he certainly seemed open to being a rival.

Penny pulled out her old diary and began to write. She had recorded most of the mission on her archiver device, but there was something nice about seeing it as a story on paper, and besides, all her tapes had been running backwards, probably because of the magnetic anomaly…

* * *

Penny's writings were interrupted by the arrival of Judy, who seemed to be behaving like everything was normal. Actually, she was very worried about Don being upset with her in some way, they had hardly spoken since the landing- at least Penny was forgiving, even if she was being awfully quiet as well. Judy sat down on her bed at the other end of the room, considering recording a message for her cousin back on Earth, although her recording device also seemed to be malfunctioning. Finally, she broke the silence and spoke to Penny.

"Well, I told everyone what we saw out the viewport.", she said quietly. "I figured they should know."

"Oh, okay." said Penny, looking up briefly.

"Dad seemed to think it was just a normal space warp…" Judy sighed. "They still don't really take us seriously."

Penny didn't share this outlook, but she stayed quiet again.

"Anyway, the JunkMan will be launching soon- should we take his ship out for another spin first? I think I owe you a _proper, normal_ test flight…"

Penny smiled. "Sure". She may have had enough dramatic adventures for one day, but flying with Judy would be much better than flying against her, and it would give them time to talk. Unless Judy really was evil all along and trying to steal the ship and capture her, but that seemed very unlikely. She might write about that in her diary just for fun, however.

Their sweet sisterly moment was broken as Will stepped out from behind the cabins curtained doorway- evidently he had been eavesdropping on their conversation. "Can I come too?"

* * *

And so, Judy, Penny and Will took another short suborbital flight, which proceeded without incident. Will was happy to get to go this time, although he wished Judy wouldn't spend so much time talking about Don… they were in space, there were more important and exciting things to think about! Penny agreed, but she kind of wished Don had come along on this trip as well- was he angry at them for some reason?

 _In the lavatory of the Jupiter 2, Major West reflected on the recent events as he shaved… but in the mirror, there was no reflection…_

* * *

Dr. Smith watched the Major emerge from the lavatory. He did look very attractive and laid back, contrary to his usual, tough, hostile attitude. But that changed as soon as he saw Smith…

"Ah, Major West. Would you like to congratulate me for saving your life?" _And, perhaps, your wife,_ he added to himself. "I expect a full apology, and acceptance, I'm sure that can be arranged, wouldn't you agree? Eh, Major?"

"Smith!"

He seemed to address the doctor in the same way as usual, but there something different about the way he looked at him. "I thought for sure you'd have gone with the kids on that second test flight!"

 _You know me well, West- then again, hardly at all. I would never embark on such a senseless journey!_

Don West and Zachary Smith had both worked for the United States Space Corps, and technically, Smith held the rank of colonel, so he should have been Don's superior… however, on this flight, he was a mere stowaway- at his best, West didn't take him seriously, at worst, the Major threatened him. This time Smith backed off, trying to avoid a conflict.

"Indeed, that JunkMan's ship is far too cramped for me, I'm not a pilot, I am an intellectual!"

"In that case, I'll take you with me on our next little trip, Smith. Just you and me, in the Pod."

 _I would never embark on such a senseless journey... voluntarily…_

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline… er, this time.", Zachary replied, entering the elevator with an indignant huff while West strode past, through the doorway to the Power Core…

 _Oh dear, why must he be so confrontational? Surely not because of me!_

Smith reached out, but the elevator gate closed and he began to rise before even pressing the button. Undoubtably, the Major was standing right behind the elevator and somehow sabotaging it… _how immature._

The truth was, Don West reminded Smith of a younger version of himself- not quite as handsome, and _far_ less intelligent, surely, but the parallels were there. And then there was his connection with Clarissa…

* * *

On the Upper Deck, John Robinson gave one of his infamous lectures as Maureen monitored the return of the JunkMan's ship, while the Robot and the JunkMan listened. Smith rose up from below and instantly regretted it- Professor Robinson may have been eloquent and _somewhat_ intelligent, but his speeches were far too long and tedious for the doctor, who just wanted some peace and quiet in the Control Room. And those two _Silver Scene Stealers_ were there as well! Sighing, he sat down next to Mrs. Robinson, and John finally noticed him.

"Once the JunkMan hopefully, er, eventually launches, we on the Jupiter 2 will orbit this planet until we can repair our damage completely. Then we're out of here by way of the Cygnus Nebula, and I suggest you follow too, Mr. JunkMan. That's our pathway back to inhabited space… Oh, hello Dr. Smith! Sorry, for a moment there I thought you were Major West-"

"Indeed!", Smith drawled. Maureen smiled, but she didn't take her eyes off her scope. "But say, where is Don, anyway?", she wondered. "I haven't seen him since-"

As it turned out, Maureen had been the one to tend to Don's eye after landing. Naturally, she had been mainly concerned about her daughter(s), but now she knew Penny was on the JunkMan's ship with Judy and Will, and Don wasn't there. So where was _he_? She hoped he hadn't secretly stolen the Space Pod and flown up to get revenge on Judy… But as usual, despite her worries, Maureen tried to look on the bright side. _At least Dr. Smith is here!_

"My Sensors indicate Major West is Currently en-route from the Power Core!" stated the Robot matter-of-factly. "My Sensors also indicate that-"

"I saw him go in there!" said Smith conspiratorially, drowning out the Robot, who lowered his bubble and attempted a cybernetic sigh, although no one noticed. "He's probably working on repairing those MAJOR flaws that _I_ found on this ship, and too embarrassed to mention it!"

The JunkMan had heard from Dr. Smith that Don West was not to be trusted, and when he captured the Robot's memory banks, he had seen some of these moments first hand… the time when Don had literally shot the Robot with a laser before taking him apart was one of the first, and most vivid memories… and of course, more recently, Don had expressed severe suspicion regarding the origins of the JunkMan's ship. But, as Maureen Robinson once said, _"there are always two sides to every argument, and more often than not, the truth lies somewhere in-between…"_ After all, the JunkMan had fired numerous rockets at Don when he tried to rendezvous in the Space Pod… he had a right to be angry. Smith wasn't exactly perfect either, but occasionally he did have a point.

 _Well, it's all possible…_ thought John, recalling Don's odd behavior. _But no, there's something else going on with him- I only hope it doesn't involve Judy…_

… _or Penny,_ he added as an then Don entered the Upper Deck, through the rear staircase, and strode into the room like his old confident self.

"Sorry I'm late!", he said again.

* * *

Aboard the JunkMan's ship, the Robinson children found themselves absorbed in the beauty of the sky, and Don wasn't there to distract them this time! But somehow, Will found himself bored, or maybe just jealous that Penny and Judy had gotten all the excitement. But Judy was preoccupied- Don may not have been there, but she still thought of him as she maneuvered the spacecraft around. And Penny just continued to stare wide-eyed into the vastness, hoping to catch another glimpse of that strange opening she had seen last time…

"Alright, I'm taking us back down." said Judy.

"Aww, I want to stay!"- Will may have been bored, but this was still more fun than the Junk Planet. Penny wasn't really listening, but then she saw it…

"Hey, look- it's our spaceship, flying up to meet us!"

"I should have known Don would try something like that!" said Judy. _Now that was more like him._ "Wait, I don't see it on any of these radar screens?"

"Look out the viewport, it's right there!"

"That's impossible, Penny…" said Will, _but it would be pretty cool if it were true,_ he thought.

And then it was gone, just as suddenly as it had appeared- a dark saucer, very clearly the familiar shape of the Jupiter 2. Now, in its place was another rift in space and time…

* * *

Once more, the JunkMan's ship returned to the planet, narrowly averting another adventure with the mysterious dimensional doorway. The Jupiter 2 could return to orbit and study these strange phenomena later, but they were on a sort of schedule for the time being- the JunkMan finally got his ship back, and prepared to launch on his own for a new future among the stars. He said his farewells to the Robinsons, and his home- perhaps they would meet again someday- although Smith and the Robot rather hoped not.

The small spacecraft blasted off from Beta Control base, looking like so many other similarly designed vessels the Robinsons had encountered- but this one was special, and it would be a home to the JunkMan just as the Jupiter 2 was a home to the family…

…the JunkMan was beginning to understand.

* * *

"Okay Debbie, that's how to pilot the ship!"

A few days had passed, and the Jupiter 2 slowly circled the Junk Planet, while the JunkMan was presumably long gone, exiting the Cosmic Cloud.

Most of the damage had been repaired, and Penny had decided that Debbie the Bloop was now the only one who didn't know how to fly the Jupiter 2. Don was still busy in the Power Core, so Penny had taken it upon herself to teach the Bloop how the Jupiter worked- Debbie was pretty intelligent, but also very small, and she liked pressing buttons a bit _too_ much as she climbed over the consoles- mysteriously, there was even more damage to repair after Debbie was done…

Maureen walked over to the console and watched- "Well, Penny, any sign of those mysterious light things you and Judy saw?"

"Oh, nothing yet," said Penny. "But we're still looking!"

"Maybe YOU are…" remarked Will, who was sitting on the "floor" sketching blueprints. Debbie got distracted and jumped all over Will's drawings onto the still partially deconstructed Astrogator, which had risen up into the Jupiter 2's Upper Dome to take starsightings. Meanwhile, in a similar Astrodome above the glide-tube elevator, Judy too was looking at the stars, her mind wandering. Dr. Smith and the Robot watched the rear viewport, bidding farewell to the Junk Planet. John and Don were apparently still working down below. And at the edge of the Cosmic Cloud, the JunkMan continued on alone, before his journey was cut short. Something had come for him, or rather for his ship.

* * *

This controlling collective of the cosmos had a name, loosely translated as the "Celestial Department Store", but they were far more than that. They had created the JunkMan, ages ago, along with his planet, and they had also constructed the ship he had stolen to escape. Now they came, but only for his method of transportation. He was just another piece of junk to them, worthless, but that experimental prototype vessel was valuable.

A larger CDS Collector craft appeared suddenly ahead, harsh and rectangular, and pulsating with bright colors, extremely threatening to the silver JunkMan. He prepared to fire the rockets and attack back, but they were all gone, used up. With no other choice, he ejected himself out the airlock and into space, and drifted away, as his prized spacecraft was sucked up into the bowels of the massive monstrosity, which also vanished into the void.

For the first time in the JunkMan's existence, there were no objects of any kind around him. But he was not alone, he still had a way to call for help…

* * *

"If our paths never cross again it will be much too…" repeated Smith for the umpteenth time, but he never got to finish- this time, he was interrupted by the Robot, flailing his arms again. "DANGER, DANGER!"

"What is it, Robot!" asked Will, jumping to his feet.

"Let me hazard a guess- either it's that JunkMan's ship returning to attack us again, or some unknown space phenomenon, but probably nothing ACTUALLY dangerous, as usual!" spoke Dr. Smith. "Unless our poor Jupiter 2 has finally blown a fuse, thanks to Major West!"

"That's enough, Dr. Smith!" said Judy, riding down the elevator as Don and John climbed up the ladder, but Don didn't even look at her. Maureen and Penny, meanwhile, rushed over from the main console.

"If I may speak!" said the Robot at last. "I have received an S.O.S signal, from none other than our 'good friend', the JunkMan!"

"Oh, the JunkMan? Well of course!", Maureen wondered… the vastness of space meant that running into the same individuals over and over was very unlikely, but it did seem to be a small universe, and naturally their paths would cross again at some point- but this was only days after he left, so it was a little soon…

"Hopefully he is not thinking of joining our crew again!" Smith really wanted nothing to do with him now.

"Due to his possessing a copies of my memory banks, there is a neural link between us!" continued the Robot. "He is currently floating in space, and requires rescue!"

"What happened to his ship?" asked Penny.

"If only we had kept that vessel for ourselves…" mused Smith.

"The JunkMan's ship was captured by another vessel of the Celestial Department Store!" the Robot intoned, intentionally dramatically and unexpectedly.

 _Oh no, not them again,_ Maureen thought. It had been well over a year since their last run in with the "CDS", and she had assumed that "agency" had been left far behind. Even Smith, who didn't seem to care about the JunkMan at all, muttered "Oh, the pain…"

"Well, we have to save him!" said John. "But if the CDS is out there, we'll just pretend to be space junk."

"The CDS has exited the system- they are not interested in us."

"Well, that's good news, but I still don't think we should fly the Jupiter 2 out there, it's too recognizable to them- just in case someone is still out there."

While John considered, Judy came up with another daring plan, not quite as crazy as the last one, but it could just work…

"The Space Pod!" she said. "Don and I could fly it out there to rescue him, it can't be far, and the CDS never saw our Pod, right?"

"That's actually a very good plan, Judy." said Don. She didn't know what to say… just "Thank you!" John was still worried- _not again,_ he thought.

"I wish to come as well- I can track the JunkMan's position in space precisely!"

"Well, okay Robot…"

"We should bring Smith too!" added Don. "Yeah" said Judy, "He knows all about finding magnetic materials… like the JunkMan."

"I want to come too!" said Penny. "You told me you'd teach me how to fly the Pod, Don!"

"Me too!" said Will.

 _So much for my romantic excursion with Don…_ Judy sighed .

But John spoke up. "Look, I know it's exciting, but this isn't a test flight, this is serious! You all stay here, I'll go and rescue the JunkMan."

"Well, honestly, John, maybe they should go." said Maureen. "It would give them more experience, and the Jupiter 2 isn't exactly safe right now either. We can stay here, we'll still be in the vicinity if something does go wrong."

"Which it inevitably will… Oh fine!" said John.

"But come right back afterword, no more 'space shenanigans', okay everyone?"

"Yes, mom." "Don't worry, I can handle it." said Don. He stared at John. "I know we will…"

* * *

A short time later, they were all spacesuited up and piled into the Pod. With Don, Judy, Dr. Smith, Will, Penny and the Robot there, it was an insanely tight fit and an awkward situation for everyone. And it would only get worse once the JunkMan joined them.

Smith and Judy had claustrophobia, but they both had reasons for wanting be around Don. The small Space Pod dropped down from the Jupiter 2's lower hull, and set out for where the Robot's astrocompass indicated they should go. As the Pod maneuvered around, the Major took one last look at the Jupiter 2. In the viewport, he could see the tiny figures of John and Maureen waving…

" _to the last, I grapple with thee…"_ he said under his breath. Penny was surprised- apart from that line not making any sense in context, hadn't Don said he wasn't that familiar with Moby Dick?

* * *

The Space Pod vanished from view until it was just another star among many out the Jupiter's viewport, blocked by the reflections of John and Maureen, still watching.

"I still don't like this…" said John.

"Oh, John, this is good for them. But yes, I know how you feel… it seems like we're getting, well, isolated from our children."

"I guess we'll be back in flight soon, then everything will be alright- but it is strange to have such an empty ship."

"Well, I guess we could have a romantic evening?" said Maureen. "But no, I'm worried too."

"We can secretly follow them?" considered John.

"Oh, John Robinson, we're the parents… we're supposed to be the wise ones."

"No, you're right, darling. But should we, well, continue our conversation from before?"

Debbie climbed back on the console, interrupting everything again. John and Maureen weren't completely alone after all. They watched the stars for a while, then turned to the central radar screen, tracking the Pod as it approached the JunkMan's location. The Bloop climbed up and began to grab at the small blip on the scanner that represented the Pod. "Even she's worried…" John said. "Don't worry, Debbie, they'll be back soon."

Suddenly, an alarm sounded and the displays turned red. "It's the Power Core!" shouted John, trying to regain his commanding voice, but only Maureen and Debbie were there to watch. He dashed to the ladder, and Maureen heard his words fade as he descended. "Our ship's about to blow! Someone sabotaged it!"

 _I guess letting them leave the ship was the right decision after all…_ mused Maureen, and she followed her husband down below decks…

TO BE CONTINUED!

* * *

 _ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS-_

 _Well, the "Celestial Department Store" comes from several classic episodes, but despite the silly name, I tried to make them more of a credible threat, kind of like the Borg from_ Star Trek? _And the next chapter is literally going to be called "_ The Wrath of Don _", so there is some inspiration taken from there!_

 _I don't know what else to say, other than that I do recommend everyone watch that classic episode,_ The Anti-Matter Man, _for answers…_


	4. The Wrath of Don

_Author's Note- This chapter relies heavily on the classic episode_ The Anti-Matter Man _\- as stated in the last chapter, I do recommend watching it, but hopefully this is still somewhat coherent on its own- And my apologies for the long wait, I do hope this was worth it!_

 **CHAPTER FOUR- THE WRATH OF DON**

" _Keep the ship- well, the ships, safe and steady, you two!" Don West had said, before heading down the back passageway to the Lower Level, Penny and Judy watching in his wake._

 _The Major slid down the tight stairway and emerged into the Jupiter's massive main storage room, its contents in disarray. Then he crossed through a hatch, down a long tunnel and a ladder, and finally into the dark, cavernous Power Core… John Robinson had recently fixed up the Atomizing Units from the smaller engine room- venturing into the actual core room itself was very rare, but Don was a risk-taker, and he wanted to view the damage firsthand. Despite the darkness, there was a lot to see down in the Jupiter's unofficial lowest level- in the center of the room, pulsating red, was the exhaust stack, surrounded by banks of massive computer units, and the twin power poles of the Atomizing Units- there was a radiation risk, for sure, and the danger of the "magnetic bottle" of the main Antimatter drive rupturing, but Don didn't plan to stay long…_

 _Isolated from the rest of the ship, he never saw the spatial disturbance, but as the doorway between dimensions opened, there were explosions everywhere, and the flashes of cosmic particle collisions between the poles. And then there was a figure, standing between the Atomizing Units, shrouded in darkness. Don couldn't see their face, but there was something oddly familiar about them- and they carried something in their hands…_

" _Smith?" Don wondered instinctively, although that clearly wasn't possible. Then the figure stepped into the light, and the last thing Don West saw before being knocked unconscious was his own face, bearded, with one eye injured, but unmistakable…_

* * *

 _Don had never before met his "Antimatter" opposite, he had only heard John's stories… stories of how "Drun" West had been left behind by the John Robinson of that twisted alternate universe…how the "real" John had fought him and left him as well- Don had gotten into arguments with Professor Robinson before, but the idea of going after him with a torch was terrifying and almost unfathomable. But now Don's duplicate attacked him, and dragged him back through the portal into the "Antimatter World"…_

* * *

 _Drun donned Don's colorful uniform, put on a pair of mechanic's goggles, and shaved- if he had thought this through, he probably would have left the Major conscious, in order to interrogate him- but he had waited for this day for so long, and now he was Major Don West again- he had replaced his opposite, and no one could stop him now… and so he endured the Penny of this universe and her grating, cheerful, naivety, keeping calm as he avoided the others. They were all so different from the Robinsons he had known, but this John Robinson had hurt him just as much as the John from his own universe, and Drun was determined to exact revenge, very soon. He set the Jupiter's Power Core to overload- once it was destroyed, the Antimatter Jupiter 2, and the other opposites, could cross over as well…_

 _The perfect opportunity arose- evidently fate was on his side. He took as many of the others as he could with him in the Space Pod- he didn't bear them ill will (yet)… after all, their Antimatter counterparts had rescued him, even if the John Robinsons of both worlds were pure evil- it was regretful about the alternate Maureen, but she had made her choice…_

* * *

There was no easy way off the Jupiter 2 now, both the Pod and the JunkMan's ship were long gone, and with John and Maureen in the Power Core, no one was left to even control the ship as it spiraled- Debbie undoubtably couldn't understand what was going on.

"Maureen, get up to Auxiliary Control!" John shouted, but his voice faltered.

"No, I won't leave you! Not again…"

Besides, Maureen knew quite a bit about the Atomizing Units- she had even travelled through their accidental gateway, into the conduit between dimensions, going after her husband, (and Will, Smith and the Robot, naturally) when they had ventured into the Antimatter World. She had arrived just in time to see John defeat his Antimatter duplicate and embrace Will… it was a very confusing time, and one all the Robinsons were happy to put behind them. But now it seemed these events were finally coming back to haunt John and Maureen, and the rest of the family.

"Maureen, the Hyper-Core's going critical!" John hadn't made the connection, literally and figuratively, between this crisis and that prior incident, but he did pause to reflect. "I have no doubt this was deliberate sabotage…"

"Sabotage- but from whom?" wondered Maureen- _surely not Smith…_

"It doesn't matter now! We've gotta jettison the core before…"

"John, you can't! If we lose the main propulsion unit, we won't be able to go after the Pod… whoever did this must be still out there with them!"

"I'm sorry, it's the only way to get out of this- we can still maneuver on secondary thrusters, but no interstellar travel for a while. Still, the Pod couldn't have gone far, I only hope the same thing didn't happen to them!"

John tried to remain optimistic, but that wasn't one of his better "speeches", Maureen thought. He was clearly repressing his emotions, trying to come to terms with what could very well turn into a terrible tragedy- she couldn't blame him, she felt the same way, although her optimism was a bit more genuine. She hoped it wasn't misplaced…

"Well, we'll find another way- we always do, John."

"Not for this one… but at least we can save the family… and the ship, and the Pod too…" somehow, despite the horrors going on around him, John managed to laugh, somewhat bitterly. "Maybe we can buy a new propulsion unit from the Celestial Department Store!"

"But we can't lose the Atomizing Units… they're the cause of all this, I know it!" Before she could go any further in her musings, something caught Maureen's eye, and she turned away from the console she had been monitoring, and towards the "floor" of the Core. There, she noticed a small shard with words carved into it. "John, look!"

"What is it?" Then he saw, and his eyes widened. There, in the jagged but unmistakable handwriting of Don West, was a message.

 **YOU BURNED ME, SO I'LL BURN YOU- DRUN.**

* * *

Don West awoke to the welcome sight of Judy's face, watching over him. "What the- What happened!" he said. Something was wrong- Judy had styled her hair differently, and she was wearing what looked like a dark black cloak. Don looked down- his own clothes had been replaced by a black and white prisoner's uniform. And then he remembered… "Oh no…" he said, more to himself than to "Judy". He looked around- this was the Jupiter 2, but not the same ship he had left. Everything was darker, warped and distorted. Was this the Antimatter World? But he had never been told about an alternate Jupiter… or an alternate Judy.

"Well, West-" she said, in a low, unsettling voice, the total opposite of the Judy he knew. "Welcome home…"

Within the Space Pod, Drun crammed against the controls, but diverted his attention away from the viewplates, turning his one good eye towards the floor. Somewhere inside the small spacecraft, the reality distortion device must be stowed… the one the alternate John Robinson had searched for. A constant between all the universes… there were an infinite number of possible "Jupiter 2" vessels throughout the multiverse, but the Space Pod… it was quite a bit rarer. And inside it somewhere, a kind of key between dimensions… now if only he could find it.

"WARNING. WARNING, DANGER, DANGER!" said the Robot. "MAGNETIC DRIVE IMBALANCE DETECTED!"

"Oh no…" said Drun, doing his best to imitate what he assumed the Don West of this reality would be like. He was prepared for this…

"I knew we shouldn't have all embarked on this perilous venture!" said Smith, intensely claustrophobic and space-sick. "Probably the Pod is too heavy…"

"But Dr. Smith, we're flying through space, that doesn't even matter, it isn't like when we launch!" Will tried desperately to calm down the panicking doctor, but to no avail.

"That magnetic thing… isn't that just like what happened to us on the test flight, Don?" wondered Penny.

"Yup…" replied Drun- he didn't seem to be paying attention.

 _Soon. SOON!_ He repeated mentally to himself, as he felt his composure begin to crack.

"This didn't happen on the JunkMan's ship…." Judy remembered. "Could there be some flaw in all our Magnetic Drives?"

"Or possibly sabotage…" Smith started to say, then he stopped. This was all very familiar…

"Could be-". Drun was calm now, a bit too calm.

"No, no, there's something wrong, Don." It was Smith again, and even he was surprised to hear himself call the Major by his first name. Somehow, though, it seemed appropriate. "Why aren't you blaming me for this problem, like you always do! What in the world is going on with you?"

It seemed this Zachary Smith, despite his façade of fear, was just the same as his Anti-Matter counterpart… intelligent, and always on to Drun's criminal behaviors. Despite this, Drun kind of liked him… Smith's alternate self may have been a space enforcer, currently locked in the brig of the Antimatter Jupiter 2, but this Smith, though much the same, was more down to Drun's level… always on the run from… something, just as Drun was….

Judy found herself agreeing with Smith again, somehow. "Yeah, Don! _Why_ are you being like this? Ever since that test flight…"

"Hey!" said Penny defensively- she and Will were bemused. Don seemed like his usual self to them, at least right now- it was Smith who was acting out of the ordinary. But then the Robot spoke up. "My Sensors Indicate we may have an imposter in our midst!" He pointed a claw accusingly at the Major.

* * *

The Antimatter Jupiter 2's Upper Deck was a pilot's nightmare for Major Don West- it was massive, but despite the endless black walls, there was something very cramped and far too functional about it- even for his tastes (but were those… cobwebs hanging from the rafters? Wait, why were there even "rafters"?)

There was no Astrogator. In its place stood a single, throne like command chair, the only one on the deck. And sitting in it was… Penny?

"Here's your 'love', or rather… his counterpart, 'Pen.", the alternate Judy said again. Of all his experiences in space, surprisingly this was not even among the strangest to Don West, but it was certainly one of the most unsettling.

Penny's opposite nodded… "You take him… throw him in the brig with Zack." Don couldn't believe what he was hearing… _The "Brig"?... ZACK?_

But before he could speak any further, Judy knocked him unconscious.

"I was hoping you'd come back with father, Judith.", said the alternate William Robinson, emerging from the shadows. "I tried… Drun escaped into the other world", she spoke to her younger brother, who was somehow her superior on the ship, second only to Penny. It hadn't always been like this… but their mother was long gone, and their father had vanished into some other dimension after the battle with his counterpart. Drun had escaped from prison and rejoined the others on the Jupiter 2, but now he too was gone. It was just them… but not for long.

* * *

Through the angled lower deck viewport, in an area which, on the ship's alternate universe counterpart, was "The Brig", but on the normal spacecraft served as an Auxiliary Control room, John and Maureen looked down upon the Junk Planet. They couldn't see the primary propulsion units drop away from underneath them, but they felt the ship shake, and a few moments later, a massive flash of light momentarily spread across the small world below- the exhaust stack had exploded, but Maureen hoped the Atomizing Units were still intact… she suspected that they would have need of those mysterious devices soon.

"It's a good thing you designed this part of the Jupiter with plenty of redundancies, Maureen." - not only were there Auxiliary Controls, but Auxiliary Propulsion Systems as well. Unfortunately, the two port and starboard Atomizing Units had both been jettisoned…

"Oh, and thought _you_ were the one trying to come up with all those experimental engine designs, John…"

But Maureen wasn't really focused now- her first priority, obviously, would be to catch up with the Pod and find the Antimatter Major West before he could hurt the rest of the family. But if he had really crossed over into their universe, that meant Don would be somewhere in the Antimatter world, and she considered him a member of the family too. But while the Jupiter could probably make it to the Space Pod's location without its main Atomic/Antimatter engines, those Atomizing Units down on the planet were the only way of accessing that alternate universe… and while a detour on the planet would "waste" precious time, reinstalling the units once they "cooled down" would allow the Jupiter 2 to reach its Space Pod even faster. Meanwhile, everyone seemed to have forgotten about rescuing the JunkMan…

* * *

Normally, Judy would have loved to be alone with Don in a dark Pod, (even if they were stuck in their spacesuits), but in these circumstances it was terrifying, and what made it even worse was that she was not alone- Penny, Will, the Robot, Smith… they were all here, and in danger. Judy recalled when she had been duplicated… could the same thing have happened to Don?

"You're calling me an imposter, Robot?" Drun stared at the Robot with a menace the mechanical man had only ever seen from Dr. Smith and perhaps from certain hostile alien lifeforms, like the Saticons…

"It is only a possibility, Major West!" The Robot replied, defensively, before dramatically adding. "IF YOU REALLY ARE A MAJOR!" It was disturbing that his sensors couldn't seem to tell for sure.

Judy could have been angry at this accusation, but she remembered when the Robot had come to her with his worries about John- she hadn't helped then, and he had turned out to be an Antimatter imposter. She would not make that mistake again… Penny, meanwhile, was formulating her own theory.

"My tape recorder was running backwards, and the Astrogator was too- and there was a Cosmic Storm!" she said. "That's just like what happened with the Anti-Matter World!" And she also remembered a separate experience with another dimension… "Wait, Don do you cast a shadow?"

It was such a random question, so stereotypical of an "evil duplicate", but Will didn't laugh at his sister this time- "It's so dark in the Pod now, and with all the reflections from that Cosmic Cloud, I can't tell!" he said.

Drun was angered that they were on to him, and that now that they knew, these innocent children weren't taking his threat seriously.

"Ooh, let's fly towards the sun, then we'll be able to see shadows?" said Penny. _And get closer to safety…_

"And throw him into that sun, if he becomes a threat!" Smith exclaimed. "That's genius, Penny!"

"NEGATIVE!" said the Robot. "This Cosmic Cloud may have once been a star system, but now it is a stellar remnant. However, theoretically the lighting conditions can be adjusted artificially within the Pod, to account for the mysterious reflections!"

Drun couldn't believe that Penny, who's counterpart was currently in charge of his Jupiter 2, could come up with such a ridiculous idea, and he tried to twist this to his advantage as he played along…,

"How do we know SHE wasn't the one who was replaced- she was with me on the flight with the imbalance, and the Penny Robinson I know would never be so insanely stupid!"

"The Don West I know would never speak like that!" Penny retorted.

"Well, he would speak like that to _me_ …" Smith started- "But I do agree with you, Penny, and I stand by you 100 percent!"

"So do the rest of us." said Judy, and she raised her laser pistol at Don. The Robot got the message and grabbed Drun from behind.

"Don, how did we first meet?" Judy asked coldly. She knew he couldn't be her Don West, but she was genuinely curious how he would react.

"Wow, great idea, Judy!" interjected Will. _He actually seemed to be enjoying this drama, somehow, or else he was hiding his fear._

"Does this remind you of Moby Dick, Don?" Penny added, remembering his statements from before… she was frightened- how long had he been like this? But "Don" couldn't hurt her now.

"Does the name 'Clarissa' mean anything to you, _Major?"_.

Smith hadn't wanted to say it, and it was drowned out by the cacophony of the others as they hurled accusations at the Major. ( _They got so excited and happy whenever they assumed they had won… how charming…)_

Smith and the real Don had never talked about their shared history, but it was something that connected them, something nobody else would know… still, Smith wasn't sure if he would have been comfortable, saying that to the _real_ Don's face… this was _clearly_ an imposter.

* * *

Don was tired of being knocked out, and this time he awoke to a less welcome face… he was bearded, with longer hair, but the narrow face, radiant blue eyes, and seemingly always present scowl were unmistakable- this was the Dr. Smith of the Antimatter universe. But Don still held out hope… this world seemed to be precisely the opposite, and if all the Robinsons here were evil, than maybe this Smith was a "good" person…

"Hello- Don, isn't it?" he said. "The name's Zack Smith, I guess I probably never ended up on this cursed ship in your world, but now we're both in the same boat." He held out his hand for Don to shake. Dazed, the Major accepted- he saw that this Smith was missing his ever-present magnetic ring, but there were more important things to pay attention to- he couldn't see much in the darkness, but he and his curious companion were clearly sealed in by a cage, and probably behind a forcefield. He had trouble moving, too- probably some magnetic side-effect.

Outside, a black and white colored version of the Robot patrolled, singing some sort of annoying song, and a reddish, ancient looking reptilian alien paced around the room- was that… thing… this world's version of Debbie? Or were there more differences than met the eye in this universe?

So this was the Brig… on Don's Jupiter 2, it would have been the Auxiliary Control area, but there were no controls, or even a viewport. Just darkness… and Smith.

* * *

Once more, the Jupiter 2 touched down on the Junk Planet, near the site where the Atomizing Units had impacted. "We need those Units to reach the Pod in time." said John, back in "speech mode".

"But I'm going through them- I've got to get to that Antimatter world and rescue Don- what if this 'Drun' brought Penny there too, back on the test flight? I'm sorry, Maureen. It's the only way!"

That would leave her alone to fly the Jupiter and rescue the others. She was fine with that, but sending her husband into another reality AGAIN? At least she knew the alternate John was long gone… she wanted the real Don back as well, but fighting an alternate version of him would be no problem… or so she thought.

Meanwhile, another problem had presented itself. The big silver and red systems were still intact and standing upright, but the exhaust stack had exploded, flooding the whole area with radiation. _Oh well… at least it's not Antimatter,_ thought John, ironically, considering where he was about to travel…

Maureen assumed there would be a replacement exhaust stack lying around somewhere on the planet, but there wasn't time to search… they could return later, after all, provided they didn't use up all their propellant on the way.

Dressed in special radiation suits, the Robinson parents stepped out onto the planets charred surface, and were just wondering how they would fit those giant cylindrical devices back inside the Jupiter 2, when they noticed something unexpected. Assorted "junk" around the units had begun to move- _just like those moving rocks we encountered in the Antimatter World,_ John thought, but these strange constructs weren't connected to the universal bleed-through- they were merely ancient construction and scavenger Robots who had reclaimed the planet after the JunkMan left…

"I wish we had our Robot here, to help us communicate with them." John said. "The wrong place at the wrong time…"

Unfortunately, not only did the Robots not speak, they didn't seem to be fully sentient. "Or Will, to reprogram them…" Maureen added.

But somehow, the two humans managed to coerce the Robots into loading the devices back into the Jupiter 2…

* * *

 _The Celestial Department Store had mostly switched over to Androids, but their Robots were still good for certain tasks…. they scanned the JunkMan's planet, discovering so much of their stolen technology… and so they stowed away on the Jupiter 2, and signaled for their superiors to return…_

* * *

"Well, it's far from perfect."… Maureen looked around the new, more compact Power Core a short time later. "…But it might just work- anything's worth a try at this point!" John said, as he stepped in-between the power poles. Maureen activated the engines once again… she didn't want to actually rely on them for flight after what happened last time, but they would serve a separate purpose by transporting John Robinson between dimensions. As the conduit between worlds opened again, Maureen and John had a vision, a memory of another goodbye, distant in space and time.

" _Come home to me, Professor…"_

" _I love you wife."_

But in this reality, their farewell was a bit different. The John and Maureen Robinsons of this universe loved and respected one another, and Maureen wasn't just John's wife. She did kiss him farewell, and whispered something in his ear, then rushed to the controls- there was a flash of light, and he was gone. She knew John would prefer for her to wait for him to return before actually launching the Jupiter, but she had an even more vital rescue mission to begin… and so she ascended to the Upper Deck and sat down at the controls, setting out after the Space Pod…

* * *

As John transcended across the narrow, infinite pathway between dimensions, he saw reflections, shards of possibilities, and there were voices within his mind. _"I USED YOUR HYPERENGINE TO BUILD MY TIME MACHINE!"_ …. " _48 degress left or…"_ …. _"I wish I'd had a father like you…"_

Fire sprang out in front of him, and he emerged into the opposite Jupiter 2… he had entered the Antimatter world- no, the Antimatter universe. The Power Core was much the same in both realities, but here the exhaust stack was intact. _Now if I could only get that back to our Jupiter,_ John thought.

He looked back- the corridor was closing, the dimensions shifting… but there was no cosmic storm here, no disturbance- perhaps that meant his Antimatter counterpart was really gone… but he would have to impersonate his twisted, alternate self- he had spent so long trying to forget that alien spirit, Canto, who had possessed him… now he would have to bring back his evil side. But when he saw the alternate Judy, Penny and Will rush towards him, his perception changed….

* * *

"The other Jupiter 2 should have been destroyed by now." the Antimatter Judith Robinson said. "Good… then we can cross over!" her sister replied, her usual cynicism replaced with enthusiasm. Then they saw… him.

"Father!", Judith, Penelope and William shouted as they hugged John Robinson. "You're back!"

* * *

John didn't know what he expected, but definitely not a warm welcome… these Antimatter counterparts were just like his "real" family…

TO BE CONTINUED!

* * *

 _ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS-_

 _There are so many references… obviously, the Antimatter World comes from the aforementioned episode,_ The Anti-Matter Man. _The dialogue heard from the "other" universes is taken from both the Lost in Space movie and, naturally the New Series._


	5. Rescue and Revenge

_Author's Note-  
Once again, sorry for the long wait for this chapter- but here it is on the anniversary of the Anti-Matter Man's airdate… _

_It may be a bit shorter (and more confusing) than usual, but hopefully it is enjoyable!_

 **CHAPTER FIVE- RESCUE AND REVENGE**

Maureen Robinson sat in the pilot's seat of the Jupiter 2 as it flew, behind a control station clearly constructed for two. The original mission plan had, of course, called for the spacecraft to fly itself automatically, although the sole pilot Don West could take over in case anything went wrong. Times had changed… the Jupiter continued to deviate from her original designs… and now it was an empty house, empty except for her- and Debbie, strapped into the other flight chair.

Maureen didn't notice the massive Celestial Department Store collector ship that had just returned to the Cosmic Cloud, all of her radar screens were trained on the small Space Pod, somewhere out there. But the CDS craft had targeted both the Jupiter and the Pod, and was closing in…

Still, there were more pressing problems at the moment…

* * *

"Space Pod calling Jupiter 2- Don was duplicated, somehow, we've contained him for now, but we're floating in space, and…" Judy tried to reach the Jupiter over the radio, but to no avail. There was no spatial storm now, but the Cosmic Cloud still caused interference, especially over long distances.

Drun had begun to scream and yell, trying to break free of the Robot's grasp. Eventually, Dr. Smith took matters into his own hands (literally), knocking Don out with a karate chop of surprising force. "Sweet revenge…" he muttered to himself, before speaking up. "Once again, I've saved the day! Now we can simply fly back to the Jupiter, and…"

"But Dr. Smith, what about the JunkMan?" asked Will, very softly, trying to distract himself.

"Leave him, I say- it's the only way… your parents are back there at the ship, they could be duplicated at any moment! Major West, or rather his counterpart, had clearly been planning this for a while- probably, I'm afraid, this whole ridiculous excursion has been some sinister plot to get us all out of the way- dispose of us and replace us with duplicates! Stopping them takes priority, don't you agree?"

"Very heroic Dr. Smith!" said the Robot. "I actually am in agreement- that is the best course of action, regardless."

"Set course for the Jupiter, Robot." Judy decided, after a long pause. "But I'll drive, this time… you keep an eye on the prisoner-" she couldn't bring herself to say his name- "Find out where he came from and what he wants…"

"Affirmative, Judy Robinson!" said the Robot, and he turned his sensors on the fallen Major.

Despite the blue "fog" outside, Judy could now see her spacesuited reflection in the viewport. _A duplicate Don_ … _was this really his "Antimatter" opposite?_ She had noticed how distant he was, coinciding with that magnetic anomaly from the Cosmic Storm, but somehow she hadn't put two and two together until it was too late. Now the real Don West could be dead, or imprisoned in that other dimension, and her parents probably were next… Meanwhile, her siblings and Smith stared into space behind her, as the Pod began to move. And below them, Drun lay on the "floor" of the accelerating spacecraft, pretending to be unconscious… then he saw it- the mysterious artifact hidden within the Space Pod!

* * *

John Robinson looked past the embraces of his "family", across the larger Lower Level of the alternate Jupiter 2… at the other end of the darkened deck was an even darker concealed cage area… was that where Don was being held? John remembered being trapped in a similar cage, imprisoned by his counterpart, a strange alien creature, and the duplicate Don West- evidently, "Drun", had escaped, and apparently the rest of the alternate family lived on a version of the Jupiter 2 as well… just like home.

John knew he had to save Don, but he pitied this universes' versions of his children- they had lost their father- he knew his Antimatter counterpart, wherever he had fallen, had never been a good parent, never a good person, and John would have to bring out that twisted side of himself in order to avoid being found out- but he still couldn't help feeling an instinctive, if irrational love for this version of his family, a connection with them- he had never even felt that way about Don- but then he remembered his real family, in danger on the other side, because of "Drun". He was just glad that Penny hadn't been the one replaced on that test flight, fighting her, Judy or Will would be too much of a challenge- or Maureen- _where was she in this other world?_ But despite the familiarity, he didn't intend to stay long enough to find out- all he had to do was rescue Don, and ideally make off with that exhaust stack as well.

With the lack of viewport on the Lower Deck, he couldn't see if this Jupiter 2 was also in orbit around an alternate Junk Planet, but circumstances were evidently different in this universe anyway, and a few of John's questions were soon answered.

"We were just preparing to cross over into the other world again," said the Antimatter Penelope, in a low, whispery voice. "Drun left us, he escaped.", Judith added.

"That traitor!" said John, unsettled by the sound of his own voice, rather than the altered voices of his children. But they didn't question him…

"I've just returned from another dimension… that same 'other world'," John continued. "But we must go back there to capture Drun- where is his counterpart?"

"In the brig with old Zack," said William. "A lot's changed since you left us, Father."

"Yes- uh, I can see that…" _But not for the better…_ John thought to himself, as he walked towards the "brig".

* * *

"Someone's coming!" said Don, to his cellmate.

"Oh dear, it's that dreadful Johnny Robinson. I sentenced him to prison, ages ago…"

"Yeah, well you sentenced my duplicate to prison too, and look how that turned out!" Don shouted at his companion, unfazed.

"My dear boy, no need to get angry!" said the alternate Smith.

"Sorry Zack… I keep forgetting that you're 'good' in this universe."

"You seem just as angry as ever, Drun… er, Don. But who knows, maybe that there Robinson is the one from your world?"

"DRUN!" shouted John, striding across the deck. "I mean Don…" The cell door slid aside, the force field deactivated. Don made a break for it, but was pushed to the hard deck- this wasn't the first time Don had fought John, and he always seemed to lose…

But the Smith of this alternate universe was evidently stronger, he saw an opening and fled the cell, knocking out Penelope, William, and Judith as well with almost absurd ease. The Antimatter Robot and mysterious alien creature hurried after him, up to the Upper Deck.

The unexpected distraction worked, and John managed to force the children into the brig, pulling Don up. "It's me, Don." he said.

"How can I know that you're telling the truth?" Don wondered. Generally, these experiences ended up being pretty predictable- as usual, everything that could go wrong inevitably would. But John whispered something in his ear, and Don was lost again in fragments of memory… _his conflict with Canto… the first time he met Judy… the Jupiter 4… his real parents, and his wish that John Robinson had been his father_ … only the real John would recall those moments, which probably never even happened in this alternate universe…

"We all want the same thing…" said John, addressing both Don and the duplicates, who were regaining consciousness. He hoped his cover wasn't blown. "To get into the other world. But I don't trust you all to run this ship… now that goes for all of you."

John was horrified at how easily his alternate progeny accepted being confined in the brig for seemingly no reason. But he couldn't think about that now- he knew they couldn't come with him, then the worlds would be out of balance. He and Don turned their attention to "Zack"… was the Smith of this universe really a bad person? And if this was the opposite world, would that make the real Zachary Smith _good_? Or were all Smith's the same in every universe? John wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, in any case. They raced to the Upper Deck- the blue Cosmic Cloud was indeed visible out the viewport- tranquil, stormless, but that would soon change. John had hoped to see the Astrogator, and use its magnetic anomaly as an advantage, but in its place was a kind of throne like command chair, and on that chair, next to the alien and Robot, was Zachary Smith.

"If it isn't my two favorite prisoners…"

"Hey! Whatabout me? Wasn't I the best?" the Antimatter Robot interjected.

"Well, you're working with me now, my mechanical friend!"

Smith smiled, and the Antimatter Robot's neon green light pulsated excitedly as he spun in circles, around his master, and his friend….finally free…

John and Don were shocked- literally, by the Robot's lightning like electronic laser pulse blaster bolts…

* * *

"I don't think that was really our father…" William said, staring at his two sisters, all sitting side-by side in the brig.

"Could he have been the version from the other universe?" Penelope wondered. There was a moment of silence from the hardened children, but it passed quickly, and Judith spoke up.

"Either way, we'll deal with him, and get our real father back. That other world isn't better after all, if that's where _he_ came from- but we're going there anyway!"

Space distorted again, and Judith saw her alternate self within the Space Pod… she saw Drun sprawled upon the deck, next to a mysterious artifact- then she had a glimpse of another reality… another father. But she suppressed the visions as she turned towards the darkened bulkhead of the brig, where a secret console rested, untouched by Zack or Don. She typed in the secret code- " _Cyclamen"-_ something none of the others would know about. The wall slid aside to reveal the original, hidden Auxiliary Controls. From there, she and her younger siblings could take back the ship. She activated the Power Core's Atomizing Units remotely, to create a space warp bubble large enough for the entire ship to travel through, using the gateway technology of another alternate Will… then she sealed off the Upper Deck, and prepared to drain its oxygen supply… but she paused. No- she needed John and "Don" alive for the moment…

 _They could still be useful yet… once we reach their world, we'll leave them in our wake. But for now- they stay…_

* * *

"Standing by with the 'Space Harpoon'…" Maureen whispered confidently to herself as she approached the Pod and prepared to bring it back aboard. From this distance, it was still a simple pinprick, another star among billions, although few could be seen through the blue haze of the Cosmic Cloud, and of course, this system had no living sun. As usual, she looked forward to when this whole ordeal was over, when her family, (and the JunkMan) were rescued, and they could return to the stormless seas of space. But then she remembered the Jupiter's engine troubles… but just getting her family back together again would be worth it, no matter what came next.

Several Celestial Department Store robots, who had stowed away on the Jupiter 2 back on the Junk Planet, now entered the deck, and surrounded Maureen from all sides- Debbie blooped a warning, but Maureen didn't take her eyes off the targeting scope as the Pod finally came into focus… but then another ship appeared- the massive CDS collector craft- and Maureen was forced to divert her attention…

Aboard the Space Pod, the Robot turned away from Drun and begun to wave his arms in warning- Will and Penny stared ahead blankly in awe and bemusement, but Smith screamed at the sight of the hideously colorful and enormous vessel- Judy was also at the end of her tether, after all that had happened, but she remained calm- she had just spotted the Jupiter 2 approaching- whatever that other giant random spacecraft was, they were saved. But as the Jupiter 2 glided into view, she could only see her mother at the controls- what had happened to John?

Drun saw an opening, an opportunity, but as he pulled himself to his feet, he too screamed- for very different reasons. His Jupiter was a darker color, and it did not have a smooth hull- the one that now approached the Pod was the version from this universe- the version he thought had been destroyed when he set that overload…

He seized the controls when Judy was least expecting it, and pushed the two control joysticks forward, on a collision course straight towards the Jupiter's much too massive forward viewport, behind which Maureen watched in horror, just evading the rampaging Pod, while behind her, CDS robots closed in.

The Robinson children and the Robot couldn't warn her, they were rather preoccupied, struggling to take back the Pod from the maniac Major. Then a Tractor Beam closed around them, and the Pod was drawn towards the CDS ship- but the Jupiter's harpoon was still out there- "So near and yet so far!" Smith said, and in his desperation, he remembered something Don West had once told him- _"Your Spacesuit's your lifeboat, Smith!"_ That had been before the Space Pod was operational, but the basic principal still applied in the present situation- looking back, Smith heard Don say it almost in a wise, mentor-like way…. _Indeed… hardly-_ in fact, he had yelled it at Smith with his usual combination of condescension and idiocy… but perhaps, just this once, the Major had been right.

"I'm sorry- I'm afraid it's the only way!"

"What is, Dr. Smith?" Penny and Will wondered at the same time. The Robot had already computed Smith's plan. "DANGER, DANGER! DR. SMITH, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO…"

But it was too late- he pressed the strangely placed button on the forward console, and the single back hatch of the Space Pod burst open- Smith kicked Drun through the open doorway, before he too was sucked out, along with the others, all fortunately wearing space suits. Penny held tightly to her book and recorder, also floating freely, and just managed to avoid the tractor beam. Judy instinctively reached for Don's hand… but it was not Don- and she was alone. The Robot embraced Will, trying to shield him from danger. If Smith did scream, he was not heard as he floated away from the rest, grabbing desperately for the harpoon. Only now did he regret his plan…

* * *

In the chaos, none of them noticed the mysterious artifact also pulled out of the Pod, and towards the CDS vessel… the behemoth craft could have left, now that it had what it had really come for… the Space Pod, and those floating biological organisms, were after all irrelevant, just floating in space… but something strange was going on, and the CDS Guard in command of the mostly automated vehicle remembered what Zumdish had said about the Jupiter 2 before he left the organization… perhaps they could stay and help…

But the danger wasn't over… both the CDS, the floating spacesuited figures and Maureen on the Jupiter 2 saw the Cosmic Storm return as another ship materialized in the center of it all- saucer shaped, but dark and rough- the Antimatter Jupiter 2, in the same universe as its counterpart. Aboard it, and staring at their familiar home vessel, John and Don didn't know whether to be relieved or worried about having brought the battle to their own universe, where evidently things were messed up enough already….

* * *

In the Power Core of the Jupiter 2, someone else came through the gateway of the restored Atomizing Units… long lost between dimensions- this wasn't her Jupiter 2, but it was close- she could feel it. The Antimatter Maureen Robinson smiled, and ascended above decks…

TO BE CONTINUED…


End file.
